ASHION CREED: NEVER TAKE FASHION TOO SERIOUSLY.

Perhaps the best fashion perk of being in show business, Lucy Torres-Gomez points out, is that you always have someplace to go. Often photographed in glamorous frocks for formal events and awards nights accompanying celebrity heartthrob husband Richard Gomez, with whom she has a five-year-old daughter, Juliana, Lucy, 31, does live a charmed life. “I love being a girl,” she says, favoring clothes that show her femininity and move with her body. It's apparent that her upbringing molded Lucy's personal style. Though seen in fashion-forward designs, she is never in anything too revealing. Growing up in Leyte , Lucy and her sisters would wear custom-made frocks for Sunday mass. This could explain her affection for Filipino couture, counting Randy Ortiz, Joey Samson, Louis Claparols, and Kate Torralba as her faves. She says her life is far from one glamorous affair after another, though. “I hardly party; I rarely attend events,” she says. “I do love dressing up though. And I love wearing heels.” She applies her meticulous eye to her everyday gear, and organizes her wardrobe down to her undergarments. “I like knowing [my clothes] are ready when I want to wear them, not in the laundry. Does that sound strange?”

DESCRIBE YOUR STYLE?

Clean, classic, feminine.

HOW DID YOUR STYLE EVOLVE?

When I was in my teens and early 20s, I basically stuck to what I felt comfortable wearing and I hoarded them in all colors available. Now I like having pieces that are all different in cut, color, and print. I've learned to think out of the box, and just have fun dressing up.

WHAT ARE THE FASHION PERKS OF BEING IN SHOW BUSINESS?

We do get a lot of freebies. And it'seasy to get “ex-deals” and sponsors. Plus, you're exposed to all these wonderful talented stylists and artists and they can be very inspiring in terms of sparking a thought or look that you can make your own. The best fashion perk about being in show business though is the fact that we get to play dress up almost all the time.

IS YOUR ON-CAM AND OFF-CAM STYLE THE SAME?

I guess you can say that, although the outfits I wear for TV are decidedly more flashy (the hair becomes bigger), and because I am so pale and the lights wash me out, I have to wear makeup. But I basically stick to the same clean lines. Nothing too fussy for me, unless, of course, it is a costume and is required to complete a certain look.

DO YOU REPEAT OUTFITS? OR DO YOU RECYCLE YOUR CLOTHES?

I repeat gowns but I do so with at least a year between the two occasions. I recycle clothes I have worn by mixing and matching them with other stuff that I have. I rarely wear an outfit the exact same way I wore it before. There are many ways to tweak the same stuff.

WHO ARE YOUR FAVORITE DESIGNERS?

Randy Ortiz will be a forever favorite. He makes for me such beautifully-detailed tailored suit and glam tops that I like wearing with jeans. He will mix two to three different prints or will embroider an already printed material to add texture. He alsmo makes pants and fitted jackets that fit really well. Joey Samson, Louis Claparols, and Kate Torralba are new favorites. I like Joey because his clothes are cut well, the finishing is clean, and although he is known for his asymmetric, androgynous look, I always ask him to concoct his take on a feminine dress and the result is always nostalgic and old-world—still girly but not sugary sweet. I like Louis because he has all these unexpected touches, in terms of embellishments and fabric. Louis is always a nice surprise waiting to happen. Kate, well, I love her fro the same reason every other girl loves her… her clothes make a woman feel and look like a woman. I go to her because I love pretty details like lace, cutwork, and embroidery. She has an interesting way of creating and combining texture.

CAN YOU DESCRIBE THE PRESSURE OF HAVING TO LOOK YOUR BEST FOR A SHOWBIZ AWARDS NIGHT?

I will not lie, there is pressure. But I also comfort myself with the fact that because I am very definite about what I want, I will be okay. I like to keep things simple—to wear a dress and not have to fidget too much and worry about whether or not it looks good on me, if it is the “in” thing or not. I want to be responsible for what I wear and not say that I was just forced into wearing it. I would never compromise and wear something I am not comfortable in just to make a statement of to be different. I know the stuff I will never wear, in the same way that I know the stuff I will not mind wearing over and over again.

YOU DANCE THE FLAMENCO. DOES IT INFLUENCE YOUR STYLE OF DRESSING?

Only in terms of wearing blooms on my hair and red paint on my lips.

YOU'REOFTEN PHOTOGRAPHED IN FORMAL WEAR. DO YOU FIND IT EASIER TO DRESS UP RATHER THAN DOWN?

I am always photographed in formal wear only because formal events are where the paparazzi always are. I hardly party and I do not go clubbing. I basically just go to the movies, eat out, do the grocery, attend my dance classes, so unless the paparazzi goes to those places, I will be never photographed dressed down. I do love dressing up though.

WHAT'S YOUR CLOSET LIKE?

Very organized, I would like to say. I know exactly where everything is. Accessories are all in one place; tank tops are folded neatly and grouped together according to color; tailored shirts are color-coded as well. Denims are all in one section; skirts in another. Dresses and gowns share one closet. I have a separate cabinet just for shoes. I also have another closet just for stuff I have never worn yet. Even my underwear is stored very neatly, color-coded as well.

DO YOU COLLECT SERIOUS JEWELRY?

Yes, serious jewelry is the only jewelry I would like to collect. [I have] Nothing against fakes but I really would never wear fake and pass it on as something real. That is the height of bad taste. I would rather have a half carat diamond that is real over a 4 carat one that is fake.

I do have fun jewelry, too, that I wear at the beach. I do not like bringing serious jewelry to the beach because I don't like the stress of having to worry about it.

HOW DID GROWING UP IN LEYTE INFLUENCE YOUR FASHION SENSE?

Life is very laidback there, and growing up, fashion was never something we gave a second thought to. We always wore dresses so I guess that is something I somehow took for granted.

My mom was perpetually well-dressed and I remember that she always had matching clothes made for me and my sister. Everything was custom-made, there were hardly any malls. For Sunday mass we always had to be in a dress. Come to think of it, most other little girls were always in pretty dresses. It is only now that fashion is more tolerant. My own little girl is often in denims even when we go to church.

BEST HAND-ME-DOWN?

All my jewelry from my mom, Lola Carmen and Lola Mameng. Also, a vintage Omega watch that my dad bought for my mom back when they were newlyweds.

HOW DID MOTHERHOOD CHANGE YOUR STYLE?

Strangely enough after I gave birth I lost all my baby fat. It probably came out with the baby. Now I'm leaner and I like the way the clothes fall.

Motherhood really teaches you to never compromise comfort, so now I put a premium on that. It's always nice to wear clothes that move with the body. I was forever in heels before but now I'm really enjoying flats and sneakers.

I never buy clothes that are so cheap they fall apart after the first washing. I will never throw away money that way.

DO YOU THINK ABOUT JULIANA WHEN YOU'RE BUYING BIG TICKET ITEMS?

Naturally. It's hard not to equate the price of a big ticket item to Juliana's tuition fee or how much the same amount of money can earn if I invest it instead in an endowment plan for her. I'm quite practical and not impulsive at all when it comes to big ticket items. Even if it makes my heart skip two beats, I can let it go gracefully.

WHICH ITEMS ARE YOU SAVING UP FOR WHEN JULIANA GROWS UP?

Jewelry, my Joe Salazar gowns, my wedding dress, soft pretty dresses from MaxStudio, Greyhound, and Vivienne Tam. Of course my designer bags, shoes (I hope her feet will not be bigger than mine!), and accessories, too. Stuff that are brand less but have sentimental value: beaded bags I bought during my honeymoon, the shirt I got engaged in, accessories I hand made.

DOES YOUR HUSBAND HAVE TO APPROVE OF YOUR OUTFIT BEFORE YOU LEAVE THE HOUSE?

With Richard, as long it is not too revealing I'm good to go. That said, he has nothing to worry about because I myself would never be comfortable wearing anything skimpy.

DOES RICHARD SHOP FOR YOU?

He always buys me the Paul Smith bags and shirts I love so much. He loves buying bikinis and underwear for me, too. And jewelry! Most wives have to hide the jewelry they buy from their husbands but Richard is the complete opposite. One of first presents he gave me when we were just a newly-engaged couple was a pair of aquamarine earrings he won in a Sotheby's auction. When he gets me stuff he usually does it when there is no occasion so the surprise and the kilig factor is even greater on my end. Richard is very fond of pearls and he knows more about diamonds and stones than me.

RICHARD ALSO HAS A STRONG SENSE OF STYLE. WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED FROM HIM?

To embrace color! My colors were so bland before and then I met this guy who unapologetically wears pink and floral printed shirts and I'm like ‘I should be wearing that, too!'. I also learned from him to be very meticulous about how clothes are pressed and stored.

WHAT DID YOU WEAR WHEN YOU WERE YOUNGER THAT YOU WON'T WEAR NOW?

Acid wash jeans. Yikes! Shoulder pads, too. Even if they came back in style I would never, never wear them.

DO YOU AVOID CERTAIN COLORS BECAUSE YOU'RE SO FAIR?

Not really. On the contrary because I'm so pale I will wear any color. One thing I do not like though is animal print—leopard print in particular. I admire it on other people but it is something I do not see myself wearing, I don't know why. I will use animal print if it is a bag, a pair of shoes, or a belt but that is about as far as it goes.

WHAT IS YOUR BODY TYPE? HOW DO YOU DRESS TO FLATTER IT?

If I were a pair of jeans I would fall under the long and lean category. I like wearing clothes that fit close to the body and if it's loose I want it to fall softly still. And I love wearing heels. Even with four-inch heels I still am shorter than my husband.

WHY DO YOU LIKE DRESSING UP?

It's a girl thing, I guess. We start experimenting with dolls as little girls and then we graduate and experiment on ourselves as we grow up. It is practical art at its basic best, fashion wise. Besides, who does not want to look nice?

WHAT IS LUXURY FOR YOU?

Shopping with no conscience. But I don't think I'm ever going to reach that point.

YOU'VE BEEN A LONG-TIME BENCH ENDORSER. WHAT DO YOU BUY THERE?

Let's just say that Ben Chan and my Suyen Corp. family are the most generous bosses anyone can ever hope to have. They are so genuinely nice, and not just to a select few but to most everyone they know and love. I always hoard their underwear, the tank tops, and my new favorite is their Bench organic Papaya line. I layer the scent by using the soap and scrub when I take a shower, and then I finish off with the lotion and then the dry oil mist. It smells heavenly and the skin becomes of so soft. I love their dried mangoes and the potato chips, too. The other I stocked up on their Baby Bench cologne in Bubble gum.

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